Patents Represented by Attorney Julian C. Renfro
  • Patent number: 4936581
    Abstract: A number selector and card marker in accordance with this invention is usable in connection with the marking of a card or play slip, and it comprises a substantially flat housing having a slot therein for receiving at least a portion of the card. One part of the housing has a series of closely spaced, carefully aligned holes of equal size, disposed in columns and rows. The placement of the holes of the series closely coincides with the placement of rectangular boxes to be found in the game grids of the card to be marked. An enclosure serves to enclose the series of holes as well as a plurality of small, equal size spheres. Each of these spheres is slightly larger than the holes, so as not to be able to pass therethrough, the size relationship of the spheres to the holes being such that a small portion of each sphere extends below its respective hole when the spheres have settled into the holes. A marking member is located in the housing directly below the series of holes and adjacent the aforementioned slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 26, 1990
    Inventor: Roger D. Hill
  • Patent number: 4932362
    Abstract: A leash and collar or harness combination permitting, in accordance with this invention, a handler by the use of one finger or thumb to readily release an animal or child wearing the collar or harness. The leash and collar or harness comprises a device enabling it to be secured tightly yet confortably around the animal or child in a semi-permanent manner. An essentially flat, somewhat elongate component regardable as a male member is secured to the collar or harness so as to protrude therefrom for at least one inch. A flexible leash is intended to be utilized in combination with the collar or harness, such leash having on one end a female latching member in which is disposed a slot for releasably receiving the essentially flat component. A suitable latching device is located inside the female member adjacent the slot, which latching device is arranged to engage the essentially flat component at the time of its insertion into the slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 1988
    Date of Patent: June 12, 1990
    Inventors: Thomas H. Birchmire, III, Markus V. Ziesmer
  • Patent number: 4928857
    Abstract: A hand operated device for dispensing a solution in accordance with this invention comprises a dispenser container having generally cylindrically configured sidewalls made of resilient material, that can be readily squeezed by a lady or child. The container also has a bottom that is generally flat, and a fill opening at the top equipped with a closure cap. The preferred embodiment of this device has an external dispensing passage disposed along the sidewall of the container, with the inlet for the dispensing passage being operatively connected near the bottom of the container, and the discharge opening from the dispensing passage located adjacent an upper portion of the container. A plurality of non-floating beads are located in a bottom portion of the container, which beads are surrounded by solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 29, 1990
    Inventor: Frederick K. Ecker
  • Patent number: 4923377
    Abstract: A low internal leakage, rotary vane gas compressor utilizing a housing having a generally elliptical cavity, whose outer boundary is defined by an inner stator wall. A shaft mounted rotor is disposed offset from the central axis of the cavity, with an end plate secured on each end of the housing. Each end plate has a centrally mounted hole for rotatably supporting the respective side of the rotor shaft. The housing has inlet and discharge passages, each in conact with the cavity. The rotor has a plurality of radial slots in equally spaced relation about its periphery, in each of which slots a slidable vane of minimal weight is disposed. Each vane is approximately the width of the rotor, and the outer tip of each vane is in close proximity to the inner stator wall. These vanes define a plurality of chambers which undergo significant volume changes during rotation of the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 8, 1990
    Inventor: Robert J. Cavalleri
  • Patent number: 4901838
    Abstract: The coin handling system prevents coin to coin contact taking place in coin operated equipment. This is achieved by an arrangement whereby the presence of a coin activates a first lever which moves a second lever in the coin path behind the coin so that a subsequent coin abuts the second lever. A series of such levers are employed in the coin store of coin operated equipment, the actual number depending upon the number of coins to be stored. When the first coin is cleared from the store by a suitable gate arrangement, all coins move along the store by one position, the separation being maintained by the interaction of the levers and coins. The advantages of the system are that a wider range of coins from one coin set can be accommodated in a single store than is presently possible. The coin insertion sequence is maintained for the purposes of microprocessor control since a single store is used. Since coins cannot overtake each other the risk of coins jams is lessened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1987
    Date of Patent: February 20, 1990
    Assignee: GEC Plessey Telecommunications, Ltd.
    Inventor: Thomas Crossman
  • Patent number: 4891804
    Abstract: A Data Switching Arrangement having a plurality of data switching groups connected by a time division multiplexed data highway, each switching group including data interface means having the ability to store segments of data from terminals either prior to transmission in the transmission timeslot or as received from another terminal in the receive timeslot. The timeslots are initially assigned by a central control unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 1988
    Date of Patent: January 2, 1990
    Assignee: GEC Plessey Telecommunications, Limited
    Inventor: David J. Lake
  • Patent number: 4881291
    Abstract: A hand held device is herein provided for selectively scraping a surface layer from the face of a lottery ticket or the like, with this device having a housing member upon which a blade is mounted, with the housing having a central cavity for catching and retaining the scraped material removed from the lottery ticket. My novel device comprises upper and lower, generally triangularly shaped members mounted in a spaced apart relationship, and bounded by sidewalls. These sidewalls serve with the upper and lower members to define the central cavity. The blade for scraping the surface of the lottery ticket is supported at a front corner of my device, and an opening is disposed directly above the blade, and generally parallel therewith. This opening makes it readily possible for material scraped from the lottery ticket to enter my device and be retained in the central cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 1988
    Date of Patent: November 21, 1989
    Inventor: John L. Ellis
  • Patent number: 4875874
    Abstract: An electrical connector securing arrangement is provided in accordance with this invention for use upon the female socket of an extension cord, to prevent the unintentional separation from the socket of a male plug that has been interfitted therewith. The connector securing arrangement comprises a socket having thereon a pivotally mounted latch member rotatable between extreme positions that are more than 180 degrees apart, and a compatible male plug utilized with the socket. The rotatable latch member has a central locking portion able to releasably engage a portion of the plug when the rotatable latch member is in one position of its rotation, and thus effectively help prevent undesired separation of the socket and plug when interfitted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 1988
    Date of Patent: October 24, 1989
    Inventor: John F. Windsor, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4872496
    Abstract: An anti-skid device for ready application to a vehicle wheel, that is entirely installable from the outer or hub side of the wheel. A primary embodiment of my device comprises at least three curved cleats, each having an inner surface and an outer surface, and each also having an integral attachment flange having a deliberate bend therein. Each cleat is configured and designed to curve in a cantilever manner around the tread of the tire, and in a primary embodiment, the cleats are interconnected by a number of elongate connection rods. The elongate assembly so formed can be placed around a tire, to encompass substantially more than half of the periphery of the wheel when the cleats are arrayed in an approximately equally spaced relation in contact with the tread of the tire, with the inner surface of each cleat normally disposed in a stand-away relation to the tread of the tire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1987
    Date of Patent: October 10, 1989
    Inventor: Benjamin A. Fortner
  • Patent number: 4862495
    Abstract: The invention provides a tip party identification facility in association with a subscriber line interface circuit. The tip party identification facility takes advantage of a shutdown feature and the output of a common mode error amplifier of the subscriber line interface circuit. The use of this facility enables the central office to determine whether the tip party or ring party is off-hook for billing purposes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1988
    Date of Patent: August 29, 1989
    Assignee: GEC Plessey Telecommunications, LTD.
    Inventor: Michael E. Stibila
  • Patent number: 4856092
    Abstract: A differential delay optical coherent pulse generating arrangement, in which continuous wave light derived from a coherent light source is divided by beam splitting means into two optical paths, in which the light beam in one of said paths is delayed relative to the light beam in the other of said paths by differential delay means prior to the sequential selection of the light from the respective paths by optical switching means to produce two coherent pulses in predetermined time displaced relationship and in which a frequency difference may, if required, be produced between the frequencies of the two coherent pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 1985
    Date of Patent: August 8, 1989
    Assignee: Plessey Overseas Limited
    Inventor: Christopher A. Wade
  • Patent number: 4825592
    Abstract: A plant supporting arrangement or totem upon which the roots of growing plants can attach and receive nourishment and water in appropriate quantities is provided, which comprises at least one generally cylindrically shaped perforate frame, having at least one open end, and designed to be utilized in a substantially upright position. A suitable barrier is operatively associated with the perforate frame and this barrier serves to prevent soil placed inside the perforate frame from passing through in any quantity. The perforate frame has large enough apertures to permit the roots of one or more plants to reside in selected apertures, that the roots may thrive in the soil contained in the interior of the perforate frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 2, 1989
    Inventor: Gilbert W. Earls
  • Patent number: 4823315
    Abstract: A transistor memory cell device comprising a pair of cross-coupled transistors constituting storage elements for storing binary information and having column drive emitter inputs to which a relatively high column drive current is applied for the selective read or write operation of storage elements of the cell device. A constant current source provides a relatively low value hold current to maintain the binary digit information stored in the storage elements in the absence of column drive current. A voltage clamping dual emitter transistor has the emitters thereof connected directly to the respective base-collector interconnections of the cross-coupled transistors, with the base of the clamping transistor having applied to it an offset voltage higher than a voltage applied to a non select line connected to the collector circuits of the cross-coupled transistors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1987
    Date of Patent: April 18, 1989
    Assignee: Plessey Overseas Limited
    Inventors: Ian C. Wood, David G. Taylor
  • Patent number: 4819431
    Abstract: A method of controlling the flow of gas emerging from the outlet of a fluidic vortex valve, the method comprising feeding a supply fluid to an inlet of the vortex chamber associated with the fluidic vortex valve whereby a supply gas flow is injected into the vortex chamber in a substantially radial direction, feeding in a controlled manner via a valve member a control fluid to a second inlet of the vortex chamber whereby a control fluid flow is injected into the vortex chamber in a substantially tangential direction wherein the improvement lies in providing that the control fluid is in the form of a liquid monopropellant at least until after it has flowed past the valve member, and providing means for igniting the liquid monopropellant thereafter to generate the control gas flow in the vortex chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 1986
    Date of Patent: April 11, 1989
    Assignee: Plessey Overseas Limited
    Inventor: Adrian Abbott
  • Patent number: 4818050
    Abstract: An optical switch array comprises a plurality of optical switches of the kind utilizing the interaction between light propagating along one of two waveguide path sections in close proximity to one another and an electrical field produced by electric switching voltages applied between electrodes actively associated with the waveguide path sections in order to effect switching of the light from one of the waveguide path sections to the other. The waveguide path sections which provide links between the optical switches of the array and which require electrical isolation from one another have dissimilar physical or other characteristics in order to prevent coupling therebetween in the presence of a nearby electric field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 1987
    Date of Patent: April 4, 1989
    Assignee: Plessey Overseas Limited
    Inventor: Peter J. Duthie
  • Patent number: 4801127
    Abstract: A lightweight, portable device for pulling a plurality of relatively small wires through a conduit by the use of a rope attached thereto, without using a winch or necessitating the use of external power. This device comprises an elongate frame particularly adapted for use in a substantially upright position and having lower and upper ends, with a pivotally mounted operating lever operatively located adjacent a middle portion of the frame. At least one force-reacting component is utilized on the frame, over which the rope used with the device passes, for changing the direction of pull of the rope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1987
    Date of Patent: January 31, 1989
    Inventor: Robert D. Patterson, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4800342
    Abstract: A frequency synthesizer of the fractional N type comprising a voltage controlled oscillator for producing an output signal which is afforded to a phase detector via a variable divider to provide a control signal for the voltage controlled oscillator in the presence of a phase difference between a reference signal from a reference source and the signal afforded thereto from the variable divider wherein the division ratio of the variable divider is set in dependence upon the output of an interpolator arrangement comprising combiner means for receiving a digital input, digital controller means for receiving an output from the combiner means, digital slicer means for receiving an output from the digital controller means, feedback means for affording the output of the digital slicer means to a component for varying the division ratio of the variable divider.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 1986
    Date of Patent: January 24, 1989
    Assignee: Plessey Overseas Limited
    Inventor: Thomas Jackson
  • Patent number: 4797374
    Abstract: A method of producing a heterostructure device comprises defining in a substrate 5 of group III-V semiconductor material a structure, such as a mesa 9, having first and second faces oriented substantially parallel to the (100) and (111)A crystallographic planes. The mesa 9 is exposed to group III-V chemical reagents thereby to deposit group III-V materials on the first and/or second faces in dependence upon the group V constituent in the chemical reagents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1987
    Date of Patent: January 10, 1989
    Assignee: Plessey Overseas Limited
    Inventors: Michael D. Scott, Alan H. Moore
  • Patent number: D299718
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1986
    Date of Patent: February 7, 1989
    Assignee: Plessey Overseas Limited
    Inventors: David J. Steer, Steven Hawker, Leonard Colebourne
  • Patent number: D305422
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1986
    Date of Patent: January 9, 1990
    Assignee: Plessey Overseas Limited
    Inventors: David J. Steer, Steven Hawker, Leonard Colebourne